Years: Return to the Leisurely Fishing Village

Chapter 101: Frightened, the younger brother who was separated from me since childhood
Tan Shaoyang looked at his cousin's worry about him and said helplessly, "Don't worry, your cousin is not that eager to marry a girl."

"Besides, your mom and my mom will keep an eye on me and won't let me marry anyone casually. Just be at peace and put your mind at ease!"

"There's really no need to worry about these things."

"It's freezing outside. Where are you going?"

If there was no way to avoid it, he really didn't want to come out. It was not as comfortable as hiding at home.

Zhang Xingning glanced around and said nervously, "I'll take you to see someone, but you can't tell anyone else."

Tan Shaoyang was speechless when he saw him like this. Who could be so nervous about him? "Who are you going to see? You look so mysterious. Can't you see people?"

Zhang Xingning shook his head and explained patiently, "Our family is also somewhat related to his family, but my mother doesn't allow me to mention it. Every time I say it, I get beaten."

"So I learned my lesson. Let's just go and see what happens without saying anything."

The two of them took many turns and finally arrived at the place.

We came to a rather dilapidated house, which was cold and deserted. If Zhang Xingning hadn't brought me here, I would have thought that no one lived there!
Tan Shaoyang had no doubt and followed him in.

After entering, he saw the skinny young man. Tan Shaoyang was shocked, his pupils subconsciously dilated, and a look of disbelief appeared in his eyes.

It was as if my feet were nailed to the spot and I couldn't move even a bit.

This sudden meeting almost left him unable to react.

Isn’t this the person who made a name for himself in his previous life?
His name is Zhang Shaojie.

He is a very resilient young man, very tenacious. He has made a name for himself with his own abilities and is also a man of considerable assets.

But even such a capable person hated the Tan family to the core. Seeing the deep resentment in their eyes, he wanted to tear their tendons and skin them alive.

It was only later that Tan Shaoyang found out that he was a child given up for adoption by his father and mother. The family was poor and could not raise so many people, so the child was given away as soon as he was born.

We had to pick someone we knew well, so we chose Tan’s mother’s family, and they also agreed not to come and meet us.

The man chosen was an old bachelor. He was very considerate of children and treated them like his own son from beginning to end. The only problem was that he did not live long and died of illness.

So Zhang Shaojie was left alone.

They have to be in charge of the family at the age of twelve or thirteen, and it is extremely difficult for them to survive. It is no wonder that they resent them.

Tan Shaoyang tried desperately to think, when he was four or five years old, was his mother pregnant? In the end, he found that he was too young and could not remember anything.

Whether one can remember it or not, this is a fact. The heart-wrenching cry of Tan's mother afterwards is enough to show that she really loves this child.

The helplessness and coercion in that era were purely due to poverty. If one had money, who would be willing to share the flesh and blood with others?

It would be painful to give away a chicken or a duck to others, let alone a living child. A mother would feel heartbroken when hearing the baby crying!

This proved that this man was their brother, and the Tan family really felt guilty about him. After all, they all survived, but he was the only one who was separated and had an extremely difficult life.

Tan's mother had promised early on that she would not go to meet him, so she had been restraining herself from asking. Naturally, she did not know that he was in a difficult condition, otherwise there would not have been a lot of things that happened later.

Zhang Xingning brought him food. It was out of his kindness that it was no wonder that Zhang Shaojie recognized him later.

After all, the friendship of helping others in times of need is extraordinary and can be remembered vividly and engraved in people's bones.

When Tan Shaoyang regained consciousness, even though it was a very cold winter, he still broke out in a cold sweat. He was also feeling uneasy because of what he had discovered.

Now that we already know it in advance, we can’t let what happened in our previous life continue.

He really didn't want to endure the resentful looks from his previous life anymore. If the situation could be improved, why not solve it subtly?

Zhang Shaojie's eyes were still clear, as he had not experienced the blows of life. Although there was panic and confusion in his eyes, there was no resentment.

Zhang Xingning said hello, put the food on the table, and took Tan Shaoyang away. It was obvious that he was used to Zhang Shaojie's silent attitude and did not show any dissatisfaction.

As long as the purpose of coming here is achieved, I won’t care what his attitude is. After all, his life is really hard.

"Cousin, let's go first! Xiaojie is a very silent person and won't talk to us."

"He's just too pitiful. There's not even enough rice at home. If I hadn't brought him some food every now and then, he would have starved to death."

"It seems like he had a problem when he was born. He has always been very weak and gets sick all the time. If his father hadn't worked hard to make money to treat his illness, he would have died a long time ago."

Tan Shaoyang followed him silently, and asked after a while, "I don't usually see you being so soft-hearted, why are you so different to him?"

Zhang Xingning smiled shyly, "His father used to take good care of me. Although his family was poor, he would always give me some food if he had any."

"We can't be ungrateful! We should give back to others when we receive their kindness!"

Tan Shaoyang understood. He must be the adopted man. In order to give back to the Tan family, he subconsciously used things to coax Zhang Xingning when he saw him!
It was because of his actions that his adopted son had the capital to survive and did not starve to death.

After thinking it through, Tan Shaoyang decided to slowly get in touch with the other party, hoping that Zhang Shaojie would accept his existence imperceptibly.

"New Year, New Atmosphere. Don't tell your family about this to avoid being blamed."

Since Tan Shaoyang knew about it, he couldn't ignore it. In the evening, he specially gave him a dinner.

I even asked my aunt for 100 kilograms of rice and had it directly beaten into rice grains.

Tan Shaoyang is cautious and has his own rules. No matter what he does, no one will doubt him, so even if his behavior is unusual, no one will say anything.

Tan's father and mother didn't care any more. They were used to him doing whatever he wanted at home, and they would never embarrass the child when he went out. Anyway, he had his own considerations.

Mother Tan looked at her son busying around and reminded him, "Why are you doing all this? Eat your fill and go home."

Tan Shaoyang waved his hand, "Mom and Dad, you guys go back first, I still have some things to do!"

The two elders were obviously used to it and were too lazy to pay attention to him. They just went back home after eating.

Tan Shaoyang found a chance and slipped out, taking advantage of the cover of night and not telling anyone, and went back to the old house.

As soon as Tan Shaoyang approached, he heard a fragile cough. He could tell from the sound that the person inside must be sick and had been suppressing his emotions, so the cough sounded so dull.

In such a cold winter, being sick is really painful.

Especially when you have no money to treat the disease, the pain becomes even more unbearable.

Without any hesitation, Tan Shaoyang pushed open the closed door and walked in. There were two round door handles at the door. He knocked on the door with them, making a loud sound. Tan Shaoyang waited for a while but there was no movement, so he shouted, "Is anyone there? Open the door."

After listening patiently for a moment, he heard sparse noises. It should be someone coming to open the door for him.

Sure enough, after a moment.

The moment the door opened, Tan Shaochu saw a weak figure. The figure looked tall but very thin, and he looked malnourished.

He was so thin that it was a bit exaggerated and outrageous, as if a gust of wind could blow him away.

Zhang Shaojie frowned and looked at him, surprised that he would come over, "What's the matter?"

Tan Shaoyang also let him watch calmly. According to the traces from his previous life, Zhang Shaojie would bear a grudge against the Tan family, which meant that he already knew the truth.

So he was not in a hurry to express his opinion and let the other party look at him.

Until he couldn't help coughing again, his entire back became hunched, and it was obvious that he was suffering from illness.

Tan Shaoyang brought the rice into the hall and placed the food on the table.

"You are sick, and hard food may be difficult to swallow. I will cook the rice to make it softer for you."

Zhang Shaojie remained silent and just looked at him without saying a word. He was extremely shocked when he saw him earlier, and now that he had come back, he didn't know how to react.

"What do you mean by bringing these things here?"

Although he tried to control his mind and stop it from having wild thoughts, it was still out of control.

Tan Shaoyang said, "What else can I bring the food for? Of course, it's for you to eat."

"When did your father leave?"

Zhang Shaojie felt awkward. Although he didn't want to answer him, his upbringing made him respond, "It's been a month." He was exhausted from running around for him.

Tan Shaoyang nodded and said in a soothing tone, "Please accept my condolences. He was able to educate you with all his heart, which shows that he loves you very much."

"I guess you're hungry too, eat something first!"

There is no need to dissect some things, as long as people can feel his kindness.

"Eat quickly, and then have a good sleep. I'll take you to town tomorrow morning and get you some medicine. It's not a good idea to keep coughing like this."

Although Zhang Shaojie was reluctant to accept the favor, at his age, the only thing he could do was compromise. He was weak and didn't even have the ability to make money. How tough could he be?
"Why are you pretending to be so kind? How long can you support me? Just cough if you want. Even if you cough to death, no one will feel sorry for you anyway."

Tan Shaoyang raised his hand and rubbed his head. "It's no problem to raise you until you can make money. As for whether anyone will feel sorry for you, others don't dare to think about it, but your father will definitely feel very sorry for you."

"Even for him, you have to live well."

"You are still young, don't always think about depressing things. Life is still long, who knows what will happen in the future? What if you become a wealthy person in the future?"

"Are you scared to sleep alone?"

Zhang Shaojie turned his head away and said with a hint of toughness in his tone, "I always sleep alone." Even if he could accompany her, how many days could he stay with her?
He doesn't want to be left alone just after he has adapted, so it's better to be content with the status quo and adapt on his own!
Tan Shaoyang was generous with his praise, gave him a thumbs up and said, "You're a little man now, you're so brave!"

"As long as you are not scared, go take a shower and go to bed. I will take you to the town to get medicine tomorrow morning."

"Where do you put the rice? I'll pack it for you. I'll have someone deliver rice to you once every two weeks. You should eat more. You've become so skinny, like a praying mantis. No wonder you're always sick."

Tan Shaoyang did not stay too long. He left after giving some instructions. He came back the next day when it was light and found that Zhang Shaojie was a very diligent person and breakfast had already been prepared.

There was sweet potatoes mixed into the pot of white porridge. Maybe it was because they were used to being frugal, as there wasn't much rice.

Tan Shaoyang turned the spoon around. The soup was so bland. How could he grow if he continued to eat like that?
He poured out all the soup, and the porridge in it filled only half a bowl, which was not even enough for him to drink two sips.

"Just have a meal and go get some medicine. If you're still hungry, you can eat something else in town."

Zhang Shaojie was confused by his action. He was planning to eat all this for a day. Now he was asked to pour out the water. What else could he eat?
"Why are you so wasteful?"

Tan Shaoyang glanced at him and asked calmly, "How did I waste it? This is all water. Eating it won't fill your stomach. If you fill your stomach with water, will it make a gurgling sound when you walk?"

"No wonder you're always sick. How can you not get sick if you don't have enough nutrition?"

"You need to eat well, be strong and resistant so you won't get sick."

"If you don't get sick, you don't have to spend money on medicine. Doesn't that save money?"

"Look, this is quite clever. How can you not think things through seriously?"

Under Tan Shaoyang's tight control, Zhang Shaojie finally finished the bowl of porridge. After he was full, he licked his lips and then remembered to look up at him with a weak look, "Have you eaten?"

Tan Shaoyang nodded, "I've already eaten at home, so I guess you don't want to cook. If I come here to eat with you, I guarantee you'll go hungry."

This sentence choked Zhang Shaojie, and the teenager's face instantly turned red.

Tan Shaoyang said, "Put on more clothes. We are going to the town now, and it will be cold when we ride the bike."

When Zhang Xiaojie was ready, his brows furrowed when he saw his thin clothes.

"Do you have any more clothes? Wear two more. How can such thin clothes keep you warm?"

Zhang Shaojie's face turned red with shame again. He put on all the clothes that could keep warm, but the conditions at home were such!

Thin single clothes won't have much effect when worn.

Tan Shaoyang sighed, took out a nylon inner bag and asked him to wear it to keep out the wind and cold.

"Just make do with it and go to town. I'll buy you a new set there."

It’s no wonder that he complained when he grew up. Living in such difficult conditions is difficult, so how could he not complain?

They are all children. The older ones are alive and well, but he, the little one, is lost. Anyone would feel unbalanced if it were him!

If you stand in his shoes and think from his perspective, you will understand where his resentment comes from, and you will no longer think that his resentment is meaningless.

The cold wind was blowing all along the way, enough to make people's faces and ears numb. This biting cold wind was not just blowing.

(End of this chapter)